THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 123
VISIT TO PURFLEET AND AVELEY (505th MEETING).
Saturday, 19th July 1919.
The Club celebrated this day, appointed to be the national Peace
Festival, by visiting a "home of ancient peace," set in the peaceful scenery
of the Essex country side, .Sir Thomas and Lady Barrett-Lennard having
kindly invited the Club to visit them at Belhus. Some fears had been
evinced that the National Holiday would seriously interfere with the train
service and the comfort of travellers, but these were groundless, and "all
went merry as a marriage bell," the trains running as usual, and there
being no overcrowding.
The party travelled by Midland Railway from Fenchurch or from
Barking to Purfleet, and detrained there at about 12.30 o'clock.
The old overgrown Chalk quarries adjoining Purfleet station, with their
tall vertical cliffs, overlain by Thanet Sand and capped by a thin layer
of Pleistocene Gravel, presented a most picturesque aspect, and regret
was felt that these quarries, known locally as "Botany," are no longer
open to visitors, they being in War Office possession, and forbidden to
the public under pain of arrest.
The party proceeded by lanes in the direction of Aveley, botanizing
en route although no out-of-the-way plants were secured, the effect of
the underlying chalk upon the local flora was evidenced by the occurrence
of such plants as Clematis vitalba, Scabiosa arvensis, Artemisia, and abund-
ant Poppies; while in the Mardyke, a small tributary which empties
itself into the Thames just above Purfleet, Butomus umbellatus was
seen growing in profusion.
Lunch was enjoyed al fresco, whilst the party camped out on a partially-
demolished strawstack in a cornfield.
At Aveley, which was reached soon after 2 o'clock, the ancient Church,
dedicated to St. Michael, was visited, and carefully inspected within and
without; a number of manuscript notes, and a series of photographs,
prepared and kindly lent for the occasion by a local resident, Mr. Aubrey
Goodes, were exhibited by the Hon. Secretary, and greatly aided the
visitors to obtain a connected idea of the history of the sacred edifice and
of its contents. Much interest was displayed in the account of the theft
and recovery of the palimpsest brass to Edward Barrett, now securely
fastened in its original matrix in the Chancel floor.
Upon leaving the Church, the party was met by Sir Thomas Barrett-
Lennard and was conducted by him through his Park to Belhus, where
the visitors were welcomed by Lady Barrett-Lennard at 4 o'clock.
Afternoon tea was very soon served, and before entering upon a detailed
inspection of the historic house under Sir Thomas' personal guidance,
a short formal Meeting of the Club was held in the Dining Room, by per-
mission of our host and hostess, with Mr. W. Whitaker, B.A., F.R.S.,
in the Chair (in the unavoidable absence of our President), when Miss
Alice M. Crow, of 9, Dover Road, Manor Park, E. 12, was elected a Member
and a candidate was nominated for election at the next Meeting. The Chair-
man referred to the announcement in the public press of the grant of
a Civil List Pension of £50 to Mr. William Cole, and the Hon. Secretary
briefly reported on the allowance of a further £75 per annum made by the